Australians lost in (cyber) space

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Australians spend more than a day each year lost online, most of
it pursuing leisure, according to a survey to be released
today.

The ninemsn survey of 21,000 people from 21 countries,
including 2500 Australians, found that fruitless internet searches
accounted for about 30 hours a year. The online survey also found
that more than 1 million Australians took half an hour to find what
they were looking for on the internet, in line with the
international average.

More than a third of Australians (35 per cent) said they would
give up their internet search because they couldn't find specific
or relevant answers to their questions. "(People) have the
impression that they are not getting the answers they want,"
ninemsn consumer services director Dominic Finnegan
said.

However, he said that there was an element of distraction for
many people searching the internet. "The more results you see the
longer it can take you to get to the information you originally
went online for," he said.

The amount of time Australians spent lost in cyberspace
outweighed the amount of time they got lost driving - about two
hours a year, he said.

Despite this, the survey showed that the internet was still
regarded as a primary source of information, more so than the
knowledge of family and friends.

The most popular search areas were in the leisure sector, with
Australians frequently tapping in requests for music reviews, local
events and getaway deals. "Over 83 per cent of Australians were
looking for holiday information compared to 67 per cent of the
international audience," Mr Finnegan said.